1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to a system and method for providing web and portal enablement of a call center, and more specifically, enabling access and control to traditional CTI-based call centers by leveraging markup language and middleware technologies. In particular, the system provides ubiquitous access to enterprise call center's system information and applications through the use of a middleware application server and an infrastructure server, via any packet network.
2. Description of Related Art
Traditional Call Centers (CC) consist of various CC component systems, such as Automatic Call Distribution (ACD) systems, Computer Telephony Integration (CTI) servers, and Interactive Voice Response (IVR) systems. The basic architecture used in present systems to integrate all these components is based on a client/server approach. One deficiency of this approach is the lack of scalability and flexibility to address current dynamic business needs. Whenever there is a change to any component (e.g. version upgrade, bug fix, etc. . . . ) it requires substantial work and resources to make changes to other components integrated with, or connected to it, to reflect the changes and to maintain the original state of integration and functionality of the system.
In addition, such methods of CC integration cannot easily provide access to CC system and CC information and applications through the web (i.e. any browser-based environment, such as the Internet, WWW, WAN, LAN, or WLAN). In current CC operations, most workers, including CC agents, supervisors and managers are very mobile. Traditional methods of CC integration hinder this mobility by restricting the access and control of CC's information and CC applications only through dedicated PCs located within the CC. Since these traditional methods employ a client-server architecture, it requires the client PC to have sufficient CPU power to be pre-installed with corresponding applications before it can access the information required or use the applications. As such, general PCs or other portable devices such as thin clients, mobile phones, PDAs, and tablet PCs are unable to access these information and applications, since they lack the required pre-installed applications or the necessary CPU power.
It would be desirable to provide a unified and integrated contact center portal system and method designed with an n-tiered architecture, which can enable easy integration of various CC applications and allow easy access and control to enterprise CC applications through web and wireless connections (through PCs, thin client PC's, mobile phones, PDAs, and tablet PCs), with little or no changes to the enterprise CC system. In so doing, a layer of abstraction is provided between the various integrated components of the CC, thereby shielding them from the complexities of each other, making it easier to upgrade, and to change the CC environment with little or no impact to the other components already integrated in the environment. There is therefore a need for providing a web enabled, wireless accessible CC solution through the use of a middleware application server, and an infrastructure server which overcomes the shortcomings in the prior art.